Ever Silent
by Huntress of Sacred Dreams
Summary: 'You want prey to hunt? I have prey for you to hunt. Five of them. They stink of impurity and need to be silenced.' Judgement has come to the Clans, judgement in the form of a demon. A thief, a murderer, two involved in a forbidden relationship and a scorned lover whose heart and mind screech for revenge. All will pay for their sins.
1. Forbidden

_Ever Silent_

In the depths of darkness, where no light had touched the ancient stone walls in seasons, padded a lone silhouette; head lowered as to not hit the low ceiling. His fur was torn out in patches, fresh blood staining his flanks and cheeks. To the naked eye it might seem like this tom had seen battle moments before but to him this wounds were nothing more than a mere reminder to the utter chaos he had been witnessing for the past three moons. Eventually the Clan he had been spying on had caught his scent and hunted him down, scoring their sharpened claws down his flanks and face, brutally marring his once appealing good looks.

He stiffened as a thread of musty air breezed past his ear, carrying with it what sounded like a thousand different voices all whispering to each other. A shudder ran down his spine as uneasiness clouded his vision and broke his train of thought. Through the stifling silence he heard a low, throaty growl like someone was grounding rocks together; it induced yet another shudder of fear. His dealings with the being that dwelled in these caves had never been pleasant or something he looked forward too. In fact he hated them but it was the only way to rid the world of impurity.

_"You have not visited my home in seasons. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Adeum? Another lover you wish to smite down because she has grown boring?" _The disdain and pure disgust was evident in the voice that thundered from deeper within the cave. From what appeared to be an impenetrable wall of murky blackness shone a pair of eyes, coloured such dark amber that they could have been described as orange. Hatred pooled within them, as did the lust for blood.

A chilling breeze spun out from thin air, filling the small tunnel with icy cold air. Adeum shivered and fluffed his fur out in an attempt to ward off the chill. It did not work, the chill finding its way through his thick golden fur to freeze his bones. Unbridled fear seized him as the orange eyes glowed brighter with the lust for blood. "You want prey to hunt?" Adeum called louder than was necessary. "I have prey you can hunt. Five of them. They stink of impurity and need to be silenced." His voice was hoarse with fear.

_"I do not care for why they need to die. You can use such excuses to cloud your guilty mind but I have no need for them; however I am curious nonetheless as to why you have chosen these particular five. So tell me, Adeum, why do you find them unworthy to live anymore?" _

The tom cat cleared his throat roughly as the chill in the tunnel died down a little. "A thief, a murderer, two involved in a forbidden relationship and a scorned lover whose heart and mind screech for revenge. All of them are unworthy of the title of pure. They are part of a large Clan, or at least four of them are, the second member of the forbidden relationship lives within a neighbouring Cla-" he was interrupted by an impatient growl that rolled out from the darkness.

_"Tell me where I can _find _them, Adeum, so that I can tear their fragile, mortal bodies apart." _It horrified Adeum to hear the enjoyment in his counterpart's hollow voice, how could any creature find the mere thought of ending another's life pleasing?

He shivered as yet another tendril of icy air slithered its way around his body, wrapping tight and squeezing the warmth from him. His counterpart was growing impatient, the lust for blood growing with each passing second. Soon the stranger cloaked in darkness might take him for a sacrifice, leaving his body to rot amongst the others. "ShadowClan and RiverClan. East of here. They live in the shadow of that huge mountain, their homes ringing a large lake." Adeum felt a sudden searing pain rip its way through his head as if a claw was prodding his brain.

A growl – this time different from the previous two – ricocheted through the tunnel as head snaked out from the shadows, slender and slim like a snake yet covered with coarse, ugly, brown fur. Glinting orange eyes glared at him. _"Run home, Adeum. The things I will do will give you nightmares for seasons. Run home and hide until I come looking for you." _

The tom needed no more pushing as he turned on his heel and took off running back to where the sun shined brightly, undisturbed by the few fluffy clouds that trudged lazily across the blue sky. His fear stench however was left to disturb the musty smell of age old tunnels. It left an unpleasant taste in the back of the stranger's throat as he uncoiled himself, stretching muscles that had lay dormant for moons. Hunger burned like a forest fire in his throat, hunger to taste the blood of his enemies.

Fangs protruded from the roof of his mouth as his orange eyes glowed like hot embers in the darkness. As he stepped out from his nest the path he needed to take formed in his mind. Soon he would have the chance to demolish the lives of five more creatures. He could not wait.

**-000-**

"Can't catch me!" Playful voices rang out clear in the lively forest as four young apprentices romped joyfully through the trees as they partook in a game of tag. Their chores and training had drawn to a close for the day, their mentors allowing them to do whatever they wished until nightfall. Thus a game of tag had been created.

A triangular face, cerulean eyes set deep into her skull, peered out from underneath a large bush as she watched her friends' crash ungracefully through the thick undergrowth. They had decided to play their game of tag in the wildest part of ShadowClan territory where the foliage grew wildly, bramble bushes and thorns were everywhere, and hiding spots were abundant. However they hadn't necessarily thought through the fact of getting brambles and thorns out of their fur once the game was finished. The she-cat didn't mind though, having fun was more important.

"Ha!" a shrill voice pierced the giggling and shouting as it echoed throughout the closely growing trees. "Got you! Starlingpaw is it!"

Her muzzle curved into an amused smile. Starlingpaw would soon get someone else with her long legs and slender body allowing her swift movement through tight spaces. Rustling beside the she-cat's hiding spot sent her heart thudding quickly only to return to its normal pace when ash coloured fur appeared beside her. Green eyes the colour of the forest around them met her own cerulean pair. "You do realise that everyone knows you're hiding under here." His voice was husky as he whispered into her ear, sending shivers of delight down her spine.

"Well they do now!" she hissed back in mock anger as the ash coloured tom rolled his eyes. "Your gray fur sticks out amongst all this greenery, Stonepaw!"

Stonepaw smothered an amused chuckle as he pawed at the she-cat's thick brown fur that was spattered with splashes of white and spots of black. "And your fur doesn't, Tigerpaw?"

"Of course not," Tigerpaw replied indignantly, "I blend in with the dirt underneath our paws even if it is spotted with patches of green grass. Surely there wasn't a better hiding spot that you could've found instead of mine?" Annoyance was creeping into her tone. Sure Stonepaw was attractive to her but he was cocky and overconfident, full of himself and his good looks. He was stupid as well; easy to convince that fish could fly. Yet of all the other she-cats he could moon over that might return his feelings he chose her, the supposedly good daughter of the deputy that was having an illegitimate relationship with a tom from another Clan. _Oh goody, _Tigerpaw couldn't help but think.

Stonepaw gently shoved her shoulder as to not send her tumbling out from underneath the bush. "Sure but then I wouldn't have been able to have this _wonderful_ conversation with you!"

That was the final straw for Tigerpaw. With a grumble she cuffed him over the head and pulled herself out from underneath the bush, muttering under her breath when a stray twig snagged her fur. It was in that moment – when she was trying desperately to unravel her fur from the twig – that she noticed the hush that had drawn over the forest. The incessant chattering of birds from high up in the topmost branches of the trees had ceased to play. The calls of their fellow apprentices had vanished as if blown away by the wind. Everything was unnaturally still. Everything felt…cold.

_"….Tigerpaw…." _

Tigerpaw felt her muscles seize up in fear as the wind murmured her name in her ear. _Wind can't talk, _she found herself repeating in her mind, _it was probably just Stonepaw playing a stupid trick. Yes, just Stonepaw, nothing else at all! _Yet when she turned around she found that Stonepaw was not standing behind her but was instead struggling to pull himself out from underneath the bush he had entered. Tigerpaw swallowed nervously. Something wasn't right.

"H-Hey, Stonepaw, did you just call my name?" she asked hopefully.

The ash-coloured tom – once he had risen unsteadily to his paws – shook his head. "Nope. Why? Did someone call you? I didn't hear it."

Cold fear found its way into Tigerpaw's heart and turned her blood to ice. Something was _very _wrong.

_"…I can see you…"_

"Did you hear that!?"

Stonepaw raised an eyebrow at the slightly crazed gleam that had appeared in Tigerpaw's eyes. _Perhaps she is going crazy over me! _"Nope. Are you sure you're okay, Tigerpaw? Maybe we should head back and see Rabbitleap?"

"I'm not crazy!" she spat back with wide eyes. The voice had been so clear in her ear yet it sounded like nothing more than the wind licking at the fur lining her ears; so clear it made her shudder with fear.

_"…Your fear scent is overpowering…"_

Tigerpaw's fur rose along her shoulders, bristling heavily. She had no idea what was going on or who was whispering to her. A low growl rumbled in her chest and Stonepaw took a shaky step backwards. "A-are you sure you're okay?"

"Will you stop asking me that!?" Tigerpaw snapped. "How can you not hear that voice!?"

The tom apprentice fell silent as he strained his ears trying desperately to hear the voice his friend kept claiming to hear. But he heard nothing, nothing at all. "I really can't hear anything," he murmured meekly.

_"…I am coming for _you_…" _Instead of a whisper it was a roar louder than thunder that shook the forest surrounding the two apprentices. This time Stonepaw heard it but only one word compared to Tigerpaw hearing the entire sentence.

He shifted into what appeared to be a hunting crouch but upon Tigerpaw's closer inspection she found him to be instead cowering against the ground out of fear. "Pathetic," she muttered under her breath despite the ripples of fear flowing through her.

_"…Just like yourself….I've heard about your illegitimate relationship with Mudpaw…Shame on you…" _

"How did you know that?" Now Tigerpaw was worried and riddled with fear. This supposed voice knew more than any other cat within the Clans did, save for Mudpaw of course.

_"…I know more than you will ever know…I know when you will die…I know when all of you will die…" _

Tigerpaw cocked her head to one side, curiosity clouding her feelings of fear. "When?"

A dark chuckle slithered through the trees as a thick fog sprung up from nowhere, covering the forest floor in blue tinted, murky fog. Dark storm clouds covered the late afternoon sun and plunged the four Clan territories into darkness. Yet from the darkness shone two orange orbs so bright they were like tiny suns. The only emotion that pooled within them was bloodlust, the untameable want to kill, to spill blood. _"Now." _

From the edge of the lake where a queen had taken her kits to play in the water with their father watching dutifully for trouble a shrill cry could be heard, sounding from deep within the ShadowClan forest. The cry was filled with pain, soon joined by another lower cry of pain and fear.

When the clouds began to dissipate into nothingness and the sun returned it painted the remaining clouds with a red hue that eerily resembled blood.


	2. Broken

**Chapter Two**

Adeum was angry. Extremely angry. All he had asked of his demon friend was to hunt down five cats, kill them, and then move on. It certainly didn't sound like a hard task for an immortal creature yet his demon friend had somehow managed to stuff it up already! As the golden pelted tom ranted quietly to himself he failed to notice the forest closing in around him, shadows sneaking peeks at him from behind gnarled looking trees and the grass beneath his paws turn to sludge. It was only when he slipped into a puddle of thick mud that came up just under his chin that he noticed how dark it had suddenly grown.

The whispers he often heard when entering the musty dominion of his demon friend returned in a mess of strangled cries for help, rendering Adeum deaf for a few heartbeats as he tried to shake the whispers from his very head. _"Come to bother me again, Adeum?" _ From the shadows opposite him glowed those orange eyes that seemed to fill with more hatred with each passing moment.

"I, uh, I-I," Adeum's tongue refused to work and he flushed with humiliation when his counterpart chuckled mockingly. With a quiet hiss he untwisted his tongue and narrowed his eyes, directing all his anger into his voice in an attempt to sound intimidating. "What did you do!? You screwed everything up!"

_"I did what you asked, did I not? I have begun killing those five contracts you have given me thus doing what was asked of me." _The orange eyes narrowed to tiny slits, _"do you not approve of the way I kill?" _

Adeum blinked and took a small step back only to end up sliding back into the thick puddle of mud. _Today really isn't my day_… "Approve!? How can I approve of the way you kill when it's that..that bloodthirsty and twisted! You skinned them alive, decapitated them and then left them for their family to find! And don't you even get me started on the fact that you killed someone I didn't need dead."

A hissing, coughing, sickly sound rolled out from the shadows, threading its way through the stifling air. It sounded as if whomever the orange eyes belonged to was choking to death on the horribly musty air of the swamp but Adeum heard the amusement through the coughing and hissing and he realised that whoever it was wasn't choking but was instead laughing. He shuddered. His counterpart was more twisted than he had expected.

_"Oh, Adeum, you are so naïve, so innocent to the ways this world works. Tigerpaw is dead, just like you asked; her friend was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. You never told me how you wanted them dead so I allowed myself to be a little creative." _Adeum could practically hear the grin in his counterpart's words. It sickened and terrified him. Just who was this creature he had been dealing with for moons? _"Don't ask those sorts of questions, Adeum. They'll only get you into trouble." _Now he was worried. Since when could his counterpart read minds?

"Who are you?"

The whispers returned as shrieks this time as the orange eyes blinked out and then returned numerous times. Heavy, laboured breathing whistled through the tight trees as the creature belonging to the orange eyes stepped out from the darkness, sucking all cheeriness and confidence from Adeum's very soul.

Its head was long, narrow and serpent-like but instead of being covered with fur it was made out of white bone stained with splatters of blood. It was a skull with two eyes that seemed to hover in the eye sockets and a tongue forked like a snake hissing out from between long canines every few heartbeats. Its body was just as strange, tall and long it appeared unnatural and each bone could be seen poking through a dirty, ragged pelt of fur that was coloured by dirt. There was no way to tell what colour it really was there was that much dirt, mud and blood rubbed into it. In places there was no fur or skin, the bones and organs easily seen through the random holes. A lashing tail that had a sharpened barb on the end swiped angrily at the air. Four paws with talons larger than Adeum's head sunk into the softened ground.

Adeum had never felt fear like what he was feeling before. _"I am under a curse that forces me to tell the truth whenever I am asked a question. But keep in mind," _he interrupted as Adeum open his jaw to shoot out a question, _"I can kill you before I have even started to open my mouth. For your own safety I recommend you keep questions to a minimum. Now is there anything else you want to say to me or can I continue my killing?" _

"What is your name?" the golden furred tom couldn't help himself. He _needed _to know who or what he was dealing with before he could go any further with his plans.

He could see the hatred burning within the creature's eyes. In mere heartbeats Adeum found himself pressed against the ground with the thing's barbed tail pressing against his throat, fangs hovering inches from his eyes and talons digging into his ribs. One might say he was in a rather bad predicament. _"Did I not warn you about asking me questions that have nothing to do with your contracts? Did I _not _tell you what I would do if you did!?" _Its eyes vanished in what Adeum assumed was a pained blink. _"Someone once called me Demon and I have carried that name ever since, although I think she meant it in a deriving manner." _

"Indeed…So I may call you Demon also?"

Demon growled and his forked tongue flicked out. _"I suppose. I don't really care what you call me seeing as you won't be leaving this swamp.._alive._" _

A sort of calm feeling washed over Adeum as he realised that his task had indeed lead him to his death just like his mother had warned him all those precious seasons ago. Now as he stared into the eyes of his killer he felt only exhaustion as it tugged on his weary bones. He had been running for far too long. "You're going to kill me? But you haven't finished my contacts! You're not allowed to kill me yet!" Even his argument was weak and hollow.

_"Do not make me laugh, weakling. Who is going to punish me if I break the rules? Your contacts will be killed, along with every cat in every one of these four Clans. You should never have brought me here, Adeum. The lust to kill and to taste blood is overpowering and I..I can no longer control it." _An emotion – perhaps slight fear mixed with uncertainty – grew and then withered in Demon's glowing orange eyes as his barbed tail quivered dangerously close to Adeums's throat.

"You never wanted to help me," Adeum finally registered. "You were just using me, waiting till I lead you to a place with more prey for you to hunt!" He writhed under Demon's hold, the want to live a little longer nothing more than a mere spark in his heart. He wouldn't have minded greeting death at that moment but he was afraid. Afraid of where he might be heading for his crimes.

Demon's forked tongue one again slithered out from between his two protruding canines, tasting the fear scent that overpowered the smell of the swamp. _"Glad to see you have finally figured it out. Shame it took your immediate death for you to realise that making bargains with demons only ends in bloodshed. Do you have any last words?" _

After a moment's hesitation Adeum answered with a quavering voice, "don't leave my body to rot in the swamp. At least let my sightless eyes gaze upon the stars even in death."

The creature bowed his skull head before his barbed tail was driven forwards into Adeum's throat, spearing him viciously. He sputtered as blood bubbled and spilt from his mouth, gushing out from around the sharp tail lodged into his throat. Gasping and choking filled the silent swamp as he fought desperately for the breath that would not come. His gushing blood created a sickly halo around his head, staining his golden fur red. Eyes widened with pain began to slowly glaze over as a peaceful feeling fought back the burning pain. Death swooped in to quickly take yet another victim who had not allowed a single scream to leave his throat.

Demon grinned devilishly. Now the fun could _really _begin.

**-000-**

There were no words that could describe the horror that lay bare before him for all eyes to see. In the small clearing within the wildest part of ShadowClan territory everything dripped with blood. It took everything within him not to turn tail and flee from the clearing where two apprentices had met an untimely and brutal death. His mind was a mess of fear and questions; mostly asking who could have committed such a hideous crime.

"Hazelstar," the quiet voice of his soft-spoken deputy did little to soothe his growing panic, "what are supposed to do?"

Her question had no answer or at least no answer that Hazelstar could summon forth. "I do not know, Littleleap," was his whispered response. "What are you supposed to do with bodies like this? We definitely cannot take them back to camp. No elder should even lay their eyes upon such horror."

The third member of their small patrol stepped forth from the shadows that lingered on the very edge of the small clearing. His paws were spattered with crimson blood from stalking lightly across the bloodied ground in order to attempt to put names to the mangled bodies. It was only their fragile scent that still clutched fervently to their bodies that gave away their identities. Pale sunlight showed the heavy scarring that riddled the tom's short face. "No Clan cat could've done this." His voice was hoarse and croaky.

Hazelstar turned his pale brown head to stare at his brother. "What makes you say that?"

The scarred tom shrugged his large shoulders, "we have been taught from a young age that killing is bad. If we were to kill then it wouldn't be as bloody as this. It'd be quick and easy to cover up. A slit throat, strangulation, poison or a trap. This…this is something else entirely."

"You certainly know a lot about murder, Brokenface." Littleleap physically flinched when she used the name so cruelly bestowed upon the unfortunate warrior by their slightly crazed previous leader. She'd found it extremely unfair of Smokestar to give out such a cruel name to an apprentice that had saved the life of his beloved daughter and in turn gave up his good looks. Revenge or harsh words were no longer necessary since the gray leader's vanishing three moons ago.

Brokenface raised his immaculate yellow eyes that appeared filled with ice. "Whilst your mentors drilled you with battle and hunting techniques mine spent long days filling my head with knowledge, attempting to make me commit it to memory so that I could easily call upon it when the time came that I needed to use it. Perhaps such a time has arrived," he exchanged a slight glance with his brother, "or perhaps this was just a freak accident involving a mentally ill fox." Brokenface shrugged once again and shifted easily back into the shadows where he felt most at home.

"I don't know, brother. This doesn't seem like the kind of killing a fox could do." As Hazelstar spoke the distinctive odour of fish washed into the bloodied clearing as four cats – with fur slicked down with water – shouldered through the foliage and gasped at the sight before them.

The three ShadowClan warriors became defensive almost immediately, claws sliding from their sheaths and fur bristling. It was easy to identify the four cats hailing from RiverClan; Rainstar, the leader, Yellowtail, the deputy, Mudpaw, the leader's son and Spottedflower, RiverClan's best warrior. Why the four most important cats in RiverClan were trespassing on ShadowClan territory was a question Hazelstar could not answer.

"We smelt blood and death on the wind," Rainstar's voice was low as she spoke, "such an unusual smell for this time of year seeing as no Clans had declared war on each other so we came to investigate. We apologise for trespassing on your lands but such a scent could not be so simply discarded. May I ask what happened here and to whom these two bodies belong?"

Hazelstar debated silently with himself whether he should tell Rainstar or ask her to leave his territory but then he thought harder about it. If this killer was to return then he might need her help to protect his Clan. After all, the Clan's wellbeing came before his own pride. With a quiet sigh he met Rainstar's leaf green eyes with his own immaculate yellow orbs. "My Clan has no idea what happened here. Our apprentices were enjoying a simple game of tag when these two got separated from the rest of the group. Their screams brought us running from camp but when we got here it was too late, Stonepaw and Tigerpaw were dead."

It was hard to see the grief that flitted across Mudpaw's face as he discovered the identities of the bloodied, decapitated bodies before him. His green eyes had already seen their skins thrown carelessly over a low hanging branch of a twisted, gnarled pine tree. It was taking all his strength no to vomit from the overwhelming stench of death. He nudged his mentor's pale yellow shoulder. "Yellowtail," he whispered as to not disturb the two leaders. "Can I go back to camp? I don't think I want to be here anymore." He felt a little woozy; stars threatening to glimmer before his eyes.

His mentor looked down at him with sympathy aglow in his eyes. "Of course you can, Mudpaw. Hurry back and don't stop until you've reached RiverClan territory, we don't want a ShadowClan patrol catching you. Hurry now!"

Mudpaw didn't need telling twice and quickly slipped away into the thick undergrowth of ShadowClan's dark territory. He felt uncomfortable surrounded by closely growing trees as if they were reaching out with gnarled claws to strike out at him. Every time a thorn or bramble snagged his pelt he jumped thinking it was the teeth of a cat, fox or badger sinking into his skin. A single tear – crystal blue in colour – leaked from the corner of his eye as he collapsed in a pile on the muddied ground. Tigerpaw was _dead_; his Tigerpaw, the one that he loved more than himself, was no longer alive. No longer would he get to see her beautiful eyes, no longer would he get to hear her voice teasing him late at night. No that was all gone, taken away from him by some sick, sick, stranger! More tears escaped his eyes and he found himself sobbing uncontrollably in a territory he was hopelessly lost in. Every tree looked the same to him, every bush just as similar as the last.

How was he supposed to find his way home when all he could think about was losing Tigerpaw?

"Oh, StarClan!" he cried in vain, hoping that, somehow, his starry ancestors could hear him. "Please let her come back to me! I swear I'll do anything for you, anything at all! Just please give me back my Tigerpaw. She was too young to die." He raised his head to stare up at the canopy above him imagining Tigerpaw's teasing eyes shining through them.

_"…Mudpaw…" _

He twitched his ears. Could it be? Had StarClan heard his desperate plea and sent his love back to him? With baited breath Mudpaw rose unsteadily to his paws, craning his ears in an attempt to hear the painfully familiar voice once more.

_"…Mudpaw….come find me…" _

A joyous smile curved at Mudpaw's muzzle and the tears in his eyes dried up. Only _his _Tigerpaw would know that hide-and-seek was his favourite kit game to play. "I'm coming," Mudpaw vowed valiantly as he tottered off in the direction that the faint voice had come from. "And this time I'll never let you go. We'll run away together, far away from these judging Clans that don't know a thing about love. We'll start a family together; build a Clan together and live happily ever after _together, _just like we always planned!"

_"…Mudpaw…come find me…" _

The patchy voice was louder this time as the tight trees began to thin around Mudpaw. He couldn't smell the familiar smell of RiverClan but he didn't really care. All he wanted was to find Tigerpaw and never let her out of his sight again. A fragile tendril of sweet scent filled Mudpaw's nose, the scent he had come to adore as Tigerpaw's own smell. "I'm close!" he called to the growing shadows as the forest grew unnaturally quiet around him. "I'm going to find you!"

_"…Of course you are…it's what we both want…"_

Mudpaw paused with one paw raised in the air. That didn't sound like his Tigerpaw. She'd never openly admit to him finding her. "Is this some type of trick, Tigerpaw!?" Her scent began to die away leaving Mudpaw to frantically search for it once again. He dashed around in a mad trance as he tried desperately to find the one he loved.

And then he saw her.

She sat calmly beside a gurgling river dragging a paw over one ear as she groomed her spotted fur. A gust of wind blew her sweet scent towards Mudpaw and he almost hovered over to her on shaky paws. "Oh, Tigerpaw," he murmured as he stood behind her. "I thought I'd lost you forever."

_"…Oh, Mudpaw…you already have…"_

"What?"

Tigerpaw turned around and Mudpaw shrieked in frightened shock. Her eyes were missing from their sockets, blood dribbling from them like crimson tears. Her ears were shredded to tatters, her face bloodied and marred beyond any real recognition. A crazed grin stretched across her muzzle from which blood dripped from.

_"Stupid tom," _Tigerpaw's voice was low and guttural as she snarled without moving her mouth. _"Could you still love me if I looked like this? Of course not. You'd leave as soon as you got the chance. I saved this poor she-cat from a life of impurity as an old acquaintance would put it."_

"You…you're not Tigerpaw! What have you done with Tigerpaw!?"

A shrill laugh bubbled from Tigerpaw's throat, _"didn't you see her body back in that nicely decorated clearing along with her friend? I killed her you fool! Just like I'm going to kill every cat around this lake. Starting with you." _

Mudpaw had little time to react before he was pounced upon by the cat he had used to love so deeply. Claws scoured his pelt with ferocity that couldn't have come from the body of such a young she-cat.

From the shadows of the trees watched a wavering, translucent shape that promptly broke down and wept, wetting the ground with her tears of anguish.


End file.
